NEW BEDFORD – Massachusetts' two newly minted U.S. senators visited the waterfront today for a by-invitation town hall-style meeting about the state of the fisheries.

What Elizabeth Warren and William “Mo” Cowan heard was a broad sampling of many of the deep concerns of those groundfishermen whose livelihoods are nearly gone thanks to catch restrictions.

The hour-long meeting at the Waterfront Grille made it clear to them that there is a deep distrust of the government's science which leads to heavy regulation and constant cutbacks.

Net maker Meghan Lapp said that New Bedford's groundfish fleet, once at 200 boats, is down to 26, with more ready to leave in the next fishing year because of lack of quota. Some boats have enough quota to fish for a mere six days, she said.

“We need something to be done. Stop it. Hold it off for a year,” she said.

Animosity toward government-sponsored researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution was clear. Rodney Avila, a former regional fisheries council member, said that “We need to drop an atom bomb on Woods Hole.”

“I was struck by the importance of science,” Warren said in her closing remarks. “We are all bound by the reality out there. But we have got to understand it.”

Neither senators expressed much hope that disaster relief funds are coming any time soon, although they vowed to continue to ask.

“We're up against a very hard wall,” Warren said.

Cowan said that as a member of the Commerce Committee, he intends to keep a close eye on the nominees for commerce secretary and NOAA administrator, whomever they might be.

As “fish senator,” he said he intends to make it clear to colleagues how important the fishing industry is to Massachusetts.

About 50 people were invited to the session, including elected officials at all levels and representatives of various sections of the fishing industry, including shore support.

Several in the meeting cautioned the senators to expect a great deal of lobbying from environmental groups that support the sector management and catch shares that are blamed for the collapse of the industry.